Aerogels and Airships

I been doing research on my free time and this is some of my discoveries that I would like to share here in my blog.

As boy I've been and still is; very passionate, about airships. As a small boy I used to imagine the flights of these giants. I strongly believe that the future of air travel would rely more heavily on airship.

The last great airship Hindenberg of the 1930's was an accident that should have not happened if only the people back then had the technology that we have today.

This year 2008 the price of oil rose to its highest level in human history and people were expecting it would rise to a level of 200 US$ a barrel but because of the current and worst financial crisis in human history, the price of oil has fallen to its historic low.

One thing comes to my mind when we consider how these events affect the airline industry.

It's pretty obvious that the price of airline fare is greatly affected. Not only does the price of oil affects air fares it also affects the quality of air we live in. The more we use oil the more we put CO2 in our atmosphere making it warmer.

So here I am putting things together to find a solution to the daily problems of life. So I thought maybe we should put back the airships to replace the jets. AIRBUS just made a very huge investment on their A380 super giant jumbo jet and it this could make the situation worst in my own humble personal opinion.

Perhaps in the early phase of A380 introduction it would be good and profitable but in the long run we would need to upgrade all the airports so it could let the A380 land and take off .This requires another huge investment on every major airport on the planet. It would also worsen the condition of the air quality and make the demand for oil bigger.

But the current financial turmoil could delay the production of future A380s

I strongly believe the future of air travel is about to change significantly. The latest development in Nanotechnology is about to radically change the way we build airships.

I believe the key material for the construction of the new generation of airships is in Aerogels. But before I explain what is aerogel let me explain first why we should use airships instead of giant jets. Well here are some very good reasons:

Airships are more eco friendly. It does not consume too much fuel to fly and does not require the destruction of forest and and natural habitats for the construction airports. It requires less money to maintain and is easier to control in navigation. If properly constructed airships could have almost unlimited transport capacity compared to airplanes and jets. In fact, Airship could have very huge economic impact on seafares and ships, because airships has almost equal capacity like a normal cargo ship. Instead it floats and flies in the air compared to the cargo ships which floats on water. Imagine cruising in the air instead at the sea.

Because of the unique physical properties of aerogels, it could be possible to construct a thermal airship with temperatures around 700 degrees celcius. This means hydrogen would not be needed at all to make the airship float in the air. Aerogel is the lightest known solid on the planet just 0.01g/cu.c 3 times the weight of air an ideal material for the construction of airships.

Light and strong and a very good insulator. Its the material of the new millenium. And there is another thing very good about aerogels, it can be made from rice husk ash and bio ethanol. By increasing the production of aerogel we will also be increasing food production and bio-fuels at the same time making more profitable air transport system. So if you are reading this blog and can help me put up my aerogel business plan please do contact me for more details.

I hope to further study aerogel at UNED here in Spain. Universidad Nacional de Educacion a la Distancia via Ciencias Quimicas. I hope to finish my studies before the end of the year 2010 at the Terrassa Center of UNED here in Barcelona Spain.

Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET)

I would like to share my wonderful experience in my latest training as a seafarer. I will be working on an offshore vessel this year and my agency sent me to train on Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET). Its a bit scary at first but later on you will get used to it.

I felt like I was one of the guys in the movie Armagedon while wearing those orange flight suits. I'm so proud of my achievement of passing this training! Thank God for giving me the courage and strength to finish this training!

The training is about learning how to escape from a helicopter after it crashes to the water. There were several scenarios, and among them is when the helicopter capsizes upside down! These photos were taken using my Nokia 3110 during the training.
Please give me comments on this activity.

Victim of a Medical Malpractice

As an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), we usually need to have a routine medical check up and evaluation as part of getting a new contract to work abroad. Apparently the Medical Diagnostic Center where I was sent to take my test did something very stupid to me.

Unknown to most people, the proper routine is to get your blood tested first after fasting and followed by vaccination if necessary. It should never be done in reverse because some vaccines have temporary side effects that could alter the results of your blood tests.

This is what exactly happened to me. On the day that I was to take my medical evaluation I was not informed that I had to fast prior to the day of my medical exam. Since I did not fast, I was sent for vaccination and was told to take my blood test the following day. The rest is history. Please refer to to the following website for details of some of the miss understanding about vaccines.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/316/7127/311/a

At first I was really worried to know something is wrong with my blood but later I found out that what was happening to me is typical to most recently vaccinated individuals. Unfortunately the people of this diagnostic center were ignorant of effects of vaccination to our blood and made stupid conclusion about me. This matter has greatly affected my medical exam and to the time of writing this blog it is still being resolved.

6 days after my vaccination I went to another diagnostic center and had my blood tested. To my expectation, I was back to normal. Good grief! at last I am normal! but the stupid folks of the previous diagnostic center still think otherwise. I even presented a medical recommendation from Makati Medical Center to this stupid Diagnostic Center about my case. I was an obvious case of medical malpractice by this Diagnostic center and I intend to pursue legal action against them if this matter is not resolved soon.

Fortunato's Post (Euthanasia of Zorro)

Dear People,

It's a sad day for me and my family. Today is a very memorable day. Though it is difficult and painful we have decided that we had to let go of Zorro. The (our royal) pet has been suffering for the past 6 months with canine hepatitis. We suspect that he contracted the virus/bacteria from an infected food supply bought from the store.

As you know it is cheaper to buy dog food from the store by the kilo. We were buying this dog food in open containers which could be contaminated by urine of rats that crawled in the store. It is a hard lesson to learn. "Never buy open or tampered pet food" cause these could be contaminated.

I want the world to know how much I miss Zorro. He is a General worthy of honor. A genuine protector of our family who would fight to protect us even at the cost of his life.

Zorro wherever you maybe we are truly grateful for the service you rendered to the family. Your are more than a pet, you are a member of the family and we will remember you always.

At 11:00am today March 1, 2007 I signed the consent for euthanasia by lethal injection. The procedure was conducted by a professional veterinarian at the UP Small Animal Vet Hospital here in Los Baños, Laguna Philippines.

It took less than 3 seconds and Zorro was gone. He did not resist and it was painless for him. The sedative was only 2ml but due to the poor condition of his liver it was enough to put Zorro to rest forever.

Zorro the General may be gone but his memory remains!

This is one of the most painful experience I ever had!